


Right There With You

by hollyandvice (hiasobi_writes)



Series: Holly's Round Eight H/C Bingo Card [5]
Category: The Diabolic Series - S. J. Kinkaid
Genre: Drug Abuse, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-27
Updated: 2017-06-27
Packaged: 2018-11-19 14:12:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11315049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hiasobi_writes/pseuds/hollyandvice
Summary: In the weeks immediately following Tyrus' ascension, Nemesis watches. She watches those that had allied themselves with Tyrus for any chance of betrayal. She watches the Helionics for any attempts on Tyrus' life. She watches those that had not yet chosen a side as they attempt to discern their place in the new order.But most of all she watches Tyrus.Nemesis does her level best to protect Tyrus from everything, including himself.





	Right There With You

In the weeks immediately following Tyrus' ascension, Nemesis watches. She watches those that had allied themselves with Tyrus for any chance of betrayal. She watches the Helionics for any attempts on Tyrus' life. She watches those that had not yet chosen a side as they attempt to discern their place in the new order.

But most of all she watches Tyrus.

He's careful in his every movement, face pointedly neutral, hands markedly loose, his every move and expression modulated to give off an air of certainty. Of poise. Of control. He's everything Donia never was, and Nemesis thinks it should make her more cautious of him than she is. But she thinks of Donia in these moments, of her assertion that Nemesis should live, that she should _thrive_ , even without Donia there, and she sets her concerns aside in favor of protecting Tyrus.

For he does need protection. More than once Nemesis watches as he dispatches threats to those that would oppose him. More than once she takes down ill-advised and poorly planned attempts on his life. More than once she tastes the bitter undercurrent of poison in the food she insists on tasting for him. Every time she is reminded yet again of her role in all this.

She lost Donia. She will do everything in her power to ensure that she does not lose Tyrus.

And yet, for as closely as she'd thought she'd been watching him, she misses the signs until it's almost too late.

By the time she realizes what she's missed, there's a full day of Senatorial meetings between her and the chance to discuss it with him. For hours on end, all she can see is the things she's missed. She sees is the way Tyrus' eyes won't focus as the Amadorian Senator speaks to him of trade schools and starting the students young. She hears the way Tyrus asks the Wallstrom Senator to repeat herself twice before he understands. And, above all, she feels the way Tyrus leans on her as they make their way back to his ship and into his bedchambers, just a bit too heavily to be explained away by simple exhaustion from the day.

This is no simple exhaustion. This is something else.

Nemesis signals to one of the Servitors and asks him to bring a stimulant for Tyrus. The Servitor looks confused at the order—it is nearly time to sleep—but complies. Tyrus wrinkles his nose as she holds the stimulant out for him to drink, still looking a bit dazed. As the chemical hits his system, he blinks rapidly a few times before looking up to meet Nemesis' eyes.

The moment he does, he slumps forward, his face twisting with an emotion she cannot place. "So you've noticed."

"I'm surprised you managed to hide it for so long. Surprised and concerned, Your Eminence."

"Please don't call me that," he mutters, undoubtedly knowing why she is.

She doesn't dignify the request with a response. "You're relying on sleep aids." Tyrus nods. Nemesis rubs at the bridge of her nose, feeling at a loss in a way that Donia never left her. "Why?"

Tyrus is quiet for long enough that Nemesis glances down at him, wondering what's taking him so long. In the end, his words are soft enough that she doubts whether a regular human would be able to hear them. "I can't sleep."

"I gathered as much. Why?"

Tyrus closes his eyes. "I… I see things when I sleep.

Nemesis rolls her eyes. "Those are called dreams, Your Eminence."

Tyrus snorts. "These are nightmares, Nemesis."

"Nightmares?" Nemesis asks with a frown. "About what?"

Tyrus rubs a hand over his face, as though trying to wipe away the moment of weakness. "Doesn't matter. You're right, of course, I'll need to stop taking them, or at least taper the use so that—"

"Tyrus," she says softly, understanding now that this isn't about his position, but about him. "What are your nightmares about?"

Instantly, Tyrus deflates. "They're… they're mostly old memories. Losing my parents. Losing my cousins and my aunts and uncles." He looks up at her. "Almost losing you." He reaches up to ghost his fingers over her neck. "Both by my hand and by my grandmother's."

They haven't really talked about the electrodes since that day in the holding cells. Nemesis isn't sure if this is the time. "The dreams… they prevent you from sleeping?"

"They wake me up more than anything else," he murmurs. "I can't seem to string together more than about two hours of sleep at a time."

"You should have told me."

Tyrus gives a small smile. "And let you distract yourself from all the other threats on my life? I thought it unwise."

Nemesis shakes her head. "I can make do with three hours of sleep, Tyrus," she says, lowering herself onto the bed beside him. "I can thrive with just slightly more. Should you wish it, I can stay by your side to assure you of my continued wellbeing."

A laugh seems to force its way out of Tyrus' chest. Then he sobers, pursing his lips ever so slightly. "You… you would do that?"

"Gladly."

Tyrus closes his eyes, slumping sideways to lean against her. She doesn't need to brace herself at all to keep them upright, suggesting that he has perhaps lost some weight in the last few weeks. She'll need to keep an eye on that too. "Thank you, Nemesis," he whispers, voice again at that timbre that only she can hear. "Thank you."

Nemesis does not respond with words, for actions have always suited her better. She eases Tyrus to his feet, helping him remove his formal clothes from the day.

"You don't have to," he mumbles, even as he fumbles his way through the motions.

Nemesis just smiles. "I know. But I want to." Tyrus smiles at her, his eyes drifting again. Nemesis sighs. "Just… promise me no more sleep aids. Not for a few days until we get the worst of it out of your system."

Tyrus nods. "Of course, Nemesis. You're right, of course."

Nemesis leans forward to press a kiss to his cheek. "Always."

Tyrus sleeps soundly that night.

**Author's Note:**

> Unbetaed. [Come hang with me on tumblr!](http://hollyandvice.tumblr.com/)


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